Mop idol David James always a cut above the rest

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David James, who will set a Premier League appearance record when he plays for Portsmouth at home to Manchester City tomorrow, is known as one of the more articulate and thoughtful of footballers. He is a confident and interesting talker, and has more of a hinterland than the average player — with interests ranging from fine art to ecology.

He has a well-developed sense of irony, but also a serious side — he is obsessed with football statistics, and concerned about the environment to the extent that he has converted his car to run on rapeseed oil to be carbon